Cinematography lighting game

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Polaroid22

Well-known member
Hello,

The idea is as simple as this. Someone posts a image from a movie or something that they lit themselves. And the rest tries to recreate the same shot lighting wise, and say how they did it. The user that gets the closest looking shot, gets to post the next screengrab.

Anybody up for this?

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I'd be up for that. I'd need anywhere from couple of days to a week to get the time. Hey! You got Carrie Mulligan in your movie that you lit!?
 
Ok, I tried something.
I placed a mirror into a corner of my garage. Asked my mom to pose. I hanged one 650W fresnell on top of her(with one full scrim), with 3 layers of baking paper over the barn doors for diffusion. Flagged the wall side of the arri 650W with some black cloth. I shot this with my GH3 and my nokton 17,5mm 0.95.


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Any tips on how to improve this shot.
 
Polaroid22 said:
Ok, I tried something.
I placed a mirror into a corner of my garage. Asked my mom to pose. I hanged one 650W fresnell on top of her(with one full scrim), with 3 layers of baking paper over the barn doors for diffusion. Flagged the wall side of the arri 650W with some black cloth. I shot this with my GH3 and my nokton 17,5mm 0.95.


Any tips on how to improve this shot.
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Grade it differently… one thing is the light, the next thing is how you use or manipulate the light in the post process.
 
Any pointers to that?
- Maybe a bit less contrasty
- And pulling the highlights a bit more down
- something else?
 
Now that you have setup the "key" on your subject. I'd get one or two more lights (small or lower power) and get some light on those back walls. I say two lights because you have two walls separated by that piece of wood. You want to really reduced shadows also while controlling your light so two lower power lights rather than one bigger one will accomplish this.
 
I'd mount the light more in front of her than directly overhead. Looks like you have the general idea; now it's about getting the angle. IIRC, the mirror in the shot had lights above it (like most bathrooms), so that seems to be the motivation.
 
Yes thanks, I just broke everything down before I read the other comments :).

I might change one of my 650W bulbs with a 300W one.
Hope somebody else gives it a try as well :), so we can continue with another image :) that he may pick.
 
Polaroid22 said:
Any pointers to that?
- Maybe a bit less contrasty
- And pulling the highlights a bit more down
- something else?
Click to expand...

If the exercise was to 'guess' how the original image was lit, then there is an 'ambient' light which allows the background to be seen, a light coming from perhaps a favored '45 deg' from the back of the subject (perhaps about 90 deg or a little bit more from the camera lens axis), and the 'frontal light'.

Your picture only has the frontal light, which to me is a bit too high.

Another issue is what was the intended story 'enhancing' reason for the lighting... your shot could be just as 'valid' given a specific story line...

Yet another issue, the lighting you have, is very 'unflattering' for older women. Older men can stand lines, but in general women are usually shot 'softer', either with softer light, or 'softening filters'. Again story line will guide how 'harsh' to make the light. (I did a portrait of a older woman early in my 'portrait' photography activities, and naturally because I go for 'realism'... she hated it... because it showed most of her age lines... I didn't do that again...).
 
Thanks for the comments!

Yes I deliberatly did not light the brick wall. Cause it is ugly.
I could not lower the Arri any further, as then it would come in frame.

Yes I did my best softening it down with baking paper, but was still too harsh. Just bought some black wrap, so I can try to crate a big softbox and black wrap around it. Any other tips?
 
I think you're pretty close there Polaroid. Almost spot on!
The girl has a soft light on her, not that big of a source though due to space amongst other things. And that light is sitting up high if the reflection on the tiles is any indication. But there seems to be another light source. The double shadow on the pipe reveals that. The reason I cannot quite figure the setup is the mirror and how it could have been used as a light source as well. Overall nice game! +1 for the art direction.
 
Polaroid22 said:
Yes I did my best softening it down with baking paper, but was still too harsh. Just bought some black wrap, so I can try to crate a big softbox and black wrap around it. Any other tips?
Click to expand...

You might think about investing in some rags. Maybe start with a 4x4 frame, a C-stand, and a sand bag.
 
That shot of Carrie Mulligan has a large soft source lighting her. You're not going to get that out of Fresnel unless you bounce it into a 4' card or blast it through a 4-by of 216/250.

I'd use a 4' kino if I was in a practical location, but chances are this was a set with no ceiling.

Also I like this game, I'll see if I can rope a friend to stand in for this.
 
Thanks, yes I only own those 2 650W, so all my lighting setups need to be done with them :). By a 4' card, you just mean a 4 inch white paper right? Sorry Im from europe :)
 
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This time I had no volonteers, so I had to do it all myself. Used some cardboard and taped it unto a window in my garage. I used one 650W with CTB on it and pointed it directly at the gap. As I was the "actor" and camera man all in one. I pulled focus on a wooden stick, started recording and then replaced the stick with myself. Did not work out too great. But I can live with it for testing purposes :)

In the original shot there also seems to be some fill that is filling out Leo's hair a bit. And I should have turned my body and my head more towards to camera, did not see until watching the footage :)
Also my 650W is again a bit too harsh. I should invest in a dimmer or either a 300W bulb. Or I could have stopped down a bit more. Once again not easy to see when not having a actor :)
 
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Polaroid22 said:
. . . By a 4' card, you just mean a 4 inch white paper right? . . .
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He meant bouncing light off of a 4-foot-wide white card (a poster board or foamcore or beadboard or whatever). Actually, I've been using a 4 foot by 2 foot slab of styrofoam. Works ok indoors, but you need a grip to firmly hold it when outside.
 
Polaroid22 said:
2dwcmjs.jpg

This time I had no volonteers, so I had to do it all myself. Used some cardboard and taped it unto a window in my garage. I used one 650W with CTB on it and pointed it directly at the gap. As I was the "actor" and camera man all in one. I pulled focus on a wooden stick, started recording and then replaced the stick with myself. Did not work out too great. But I can live with it for testing purposes :)

In the original shot there also seems to be some fill that is filling out Leo's hair a bit. And I should have turned my body and my head more towards to camera, did not see until watching the footage :)
Also my 650W is again a bit too harsh. I should invest in a dimmer or either a 300W bulb. Or I could have stopped down a bit more. Once again not easy to see when not having a actor :)
Click to expand...

Could be a kino of sorts above Leo… the sunlight from outside the shaft looks a bit softer than yours, kinda like semi cloudy. Could it have been light through a silk?
And then add a tiny amount of haze to your garage...
 
regarding the older lady, no harm in going softer, but as is, I think shes in the "good portraiture" range; for this you light "down the nose", meaning have the person (for the most part) facing the key. Thats how they did in the early days with the hard lighting schemes.
 
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